1And the children of Re’uḇĕn and the children of Gaḏ had much livestock, a large number. And they saw the land of Ya‛zĕr and the land of Gil‛aḏ and saw that the place was a place for livestock.

2So the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn came and spoke to Mosheh, and to El‛azar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying,

3“Ataroth, and Diḇon, and Ya‛zĕr, and Nimrah, and Ḥeshbon, and El‛alĕh, and Seḇam, and Neḇo, and Be‛on,

4the land which יהוה had smitten before the congregation of Yisra’ĕl, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”

5And they said, “If we have found favour in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession, and do not let us pass over the Yardĕn.”

6And Mosheh said to the children of Gaḏ and to the children of Re’uḇĕn, “Are your brothers to go into the battle while you yourselves sit here?

7“Now why do you discourage the heart of the children of Yisra’ĕl from passing over into the land which יהוה has given them?

8“Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa to see the land.

9“For when they went up to the wadi Eshkol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Yisra’ĕl, so that they did not go into the land which יהוה had given them.

10“Then the displeasure of יהוה burned on that day, and He swore an oath, saying,

11‘Not one of the men who came up from Mitsrayim, from twenty years old and above, is to see the land of which I swore to Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, and Ya‛aqoḇ, because they did not follow Me completely,

12except Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh, the Qenizzite, and Yehoshua son of Nun, for they have followed יהוה completely.’

13“So the displeasure of יהוה burned against Yisra’ĕl, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the eyes of יהוה was destroyed.

14“And see, you have risen in your father’s place, an increase of men, sinners, to add still more the burning displeasure of יהוה against Yisra’ĕl.

15“For if you turn away from following Him, He shall once again leave them in the wilderness, and you shall destroy all these people.”

16Then they came near to him and said, “Let us build sheep-enclosures here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones,

17but let us ourselves be armed, hastening before the children of Yisra’ĕl until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall dwell in the walled cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

18“We shall not return to our homes until every one of the children of Yisra’ĕl has received his inheritance.

19“For we shall not inherit with them on the other side of the Yardĕn and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Yardĕn.”

20And Mosheh said to them, “If you make this promise: if you arm yourselves before יהוה for battle,

21and all your armed ones pass over the Yardĕn before יהוה until He has driven out His enemies from before Him,

22and the land has been subdued before יהוה, then afterward you shall return, and be guiltless before יהוה and before Yisra’ĕl. And this land shall be your possession before יהוה.

23“But if you do not do so, then see, you shall sin against יהוה, and know: your sin is going to find you out.

24“Build cities for your little ones and enclosures for your sheep, and do what you have promised.”

25And the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn spoke to Mosheh, saying, “Your servants are going to do as my master commands.

26“Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock are going to be there in the cities of Gil‛aḏ,

27but your servants are passing over, every armed one of the army, before יהוה, to battle, as my master says.”

28And Mosheh gave command concerning them to El‛azar the priest, to Yehoshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Yisra’ĕl.

29And Mosheh said to them, “If the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn pass over the Yardĕn with you, every man armed for battle before יהוה, and the land has been subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gil‛aḏ as a possession.

30“But if they do not pass over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Kena‛an.”

31Then the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn answered, saying, “As יהוה has said to your servants, so we do.

32“We ourselves are passing over armed before יהוה into the land of Kena‛an, but the possession of our inheritance remains with us beyond the Yardĕn.”

33So Mosheh gave to the children of Gaḏ, to the children of Re’uḇĕn, and to half the tribe of Menashsheh, son of Yosĕph, the reign of Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites and the reign of Og̅ sovereign of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the land round about.

34And the children of Gaḏ built Diḇon and Ataroth and Aro‛ĕr,

35and Atroth, Shophan and Ya‛zĕr and Yog̅behah,

36and Bĕyth Nimrah and Bĕyth Haran, walled cities, and enclosures for sheep.

37And the children of Re’uḇĕn built Ḥeshbon and El‛alĕh and Qiryathayim,

38Neḇo and Ba‛al Me‛on – the names being changed – and Shiḇmah. And they gave other names to the cities which they built.

39And the sons of Maḵir son of Menashsheh went to Gil‛aḏ and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.

40So Mosheh gave Gil‛aḏ to Maḵir, son of Menashsheh, and he dwelt in it.

41And Ya’ir son of Menashsheh went and took its small towns, and called them Ḥawoth Ya’ir.

42And Noḇaḥ went and took Qenath and its villages, and he called it Noḇaḥ, after his own name.